Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has gained acceptance in recent years as a viable low-cost alternative to photolithography for the patterning of nanoscale features. See, e.g., L. J. Guo, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics (2004), volume 37, number 11, pages R123-R141; D. J. Resnick, S. V. Sreenivasan, and C. G. Willson, Materials Today (Oxford, United Kingdom) (2005), volume 8, number 2, pages 34-42; L. J. Guo, Proceedings of SPIE-The International Society for Optical Engineering (2005), 5734, (Quantum Dots, Nanoparticles, and Nanoclusters II), pages 53-64; W. M. Tong, S. D. Hector, G.-Y. Jung, W. Wu, J. Ellenson, K. Kramer, T. Hostetler, S. K. Richards, and R. S. Williams, Proceedings of SPIE-The International Society for Optical Engineering (2005), 5751, (Pt. 1, Emerging Lithographic Technologies IX), pages 46-55. Combining imprint lithography and lift-off is one of the major process routes to obtain multiple arrays of nanoelectrodes, with reported fabrication of gold contacts with as small as five nanometer separation. M. D. Austin, H. Ge, W. Wu, M. Li, Z. Yu, D. Wasserman, S. A. Lyon, and S. Y. Chou, Applied Physics Letters (2004), volume 84, number 26, pages 5299-5301. Lift-off process in tandem with NIL has been previously reported using a few different polymers. For example, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has been selectively stripped with acetone as a solvent. Id. As another example, a lift-off process using poly(vinyl alcohol) and water as a solvent has been described. K.-I. Nakamatsu, K. Tone, and S. Matsui, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part I: Regular Papers, Brief Communications, and Review Papers (2005), volume 44, no. 11, pages 8186-8188. Notably, for both of these polymers, the imprinting has been employed using direct thermal molding of the polymer layer in presence of pressurized mold and without the use of any photosensitive polymer resin or ultraviolet (UV) radiation curing process. Poly(methyl methacrylate) is soluble in various organic solvents commonly employed in the application of polymeric and organic layers. Solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), toluene, and propylene glycol methyl ester acetate (PGMEA) are commonly used in these application processes. However, the use of such strong organic solvents severely restricts the use of many polymeric materials as substrates. There is therefore a need for materials and processes that can enable the formation of patterned functional layers via lift-off processes while avoiding the use of strong organic solvents.